Community - About of the Ausable River
The Ausable River is nationally and internationally recognized for its resources, which include white-water recreational canoeing, several rare plant and animal species, and its astounding beauty. In addition, the river’s watershed is home to nine of the High Peaks – Algonquin, Cascade, Giant, Gothics, Basin,  haystack, Skylight, Nippletop, and Whiteface. Over the years the river has played a central role in the history of many towns. Originally many of the towns relied on the river for their mining operations, logging, paper production, and milling. Today, these same towns rely on the many tourists that come to fish, canoe/kayak,hike and sight-see along the Ausable River.
The Ausable River flows from its headwaters, 2000 feet above sea level, down the steep slopes of the Adirondack High Peaks to its mouth 100 feet above sea level at Lake Champlain. Consequently, the Au Sable has one of the steepest gradients of any river in New York State. It begins as two mountain streams known as the East Branch and the West Branch. The West Branch begins at the confluence of Marcy and South Meadow Brooks in the High Peaks and flows 35 miles northeast to Au Sable Forks. The East Branch begins in the Ausable Lakes and flows 32 miles to Au Sable Forks. The Main Stem completes the trip from Au Sable Forks to Lake Champlain in 24 miles. In total the Ausable River drains 516 square miles of land.
The Ausable River is included in the National Park Service's Nationwide Rivers Inventory, and is designated part of the Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System of New York State. It is a renowned trout fishery and the West Branch hosts one of the longest stretches of catch-and-release fishing in New York State.
Despite the West Branch’s success as a fishery, parts of the watershed are listed as having “reduced” trout populations on the “NY State Trout Population” map. One possible cause of habitat reduction is excess stream sedimentation. The Ausable River Association (ASRA) has long recognized the importance and need for reducing sediment runoff into the river. Excess sediment and its impact to the aquatic ecosystem along the Ausable River have been noted by NYS DEC in their non-point source pollution Priority Waterbodies List and by embededness studies conducted by the Boquet and Ausable River Associations. This study continued the work of inventorying the stream in order to assess where sediment sources from eroding stream banks and to identify river reaches that may need stabilization efforts.
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